Trump Expands Data Center Cost Pledge to Cover 80% of U.S. Power

Pledge expansion targets consumer electricity bills

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that nearly 200 additional entities have joined the administration's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a voluntary commitment designed to prevent consumers from paying for the infrastructure needed to power AI data centers. The expanded initiative now covers 80 percent of electricity delivered to American homes and businesses, according to the White House.

Trump made the announcement at the Environmental Protection Agency alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and four Republican governors from Louisiana, Georgia, Nebraska, and Idaho. Major utilities including NextEra and Duke Energy are among the new signatories, joining tech giants Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon, which signed when Trump first issued the pledge in March.

What the pledge requires

The nonbinding pledge specifies that AI companies must build, bring, or purchase the new generation resources and electricity needed to meet their energy demands. They must also pay for all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades required to service their data centers, rather than passing those costs to ratepayers.

Twenty-three Republican governors have now signed the pledge, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose state has experienced growing frustration over data center expansion and its impact on the electrical grid.

Why it matters

The rapid buildout of AI infrastructure is creating measurable pressure on electricity systems and consumer bills. Electricity prices rose 4 percent year-over-year in June, and consulting firm ICF projects that increased demand from data centers could push monthly utility bills up 15 to 40 percent by 2030. The pledge represents an attempt to address bipartisan concern over who bears the cost of this infrastructure expansion before it becomes a more acute political problem.

Legislative and state action follows

The issue has gained traction in Congress, where the House Energy and Commerce Committee's energy subcommittee voted last month on the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act. The legislation would require state utility regulators to consider making data center builders pay for grid upgrades rather than shifting those costs to residential and small-business customers. The bill would codify the principles behind Trump's pledge but still requires approval from the full House and Senate.

Several states have taken independent action. New York Governor Kathy Hochul implemented a yearlong pause on construction of large new data centers. Oregon's utility regulator approved rules allowing Portland General Electric to charge data centers an average of 29 percent more for electricity while reducing rates for residential and other customers.

These details were first reported by AI Watch, citing coverage from The Hill.